Makkah topped the list in having deliveries by Cesarean section with 39 percent, followed by Qurayyat with 18 percent.

The cases of women giving birth by Cesarean section increased by 67 percent this year compared to 2014, according to the Ministry of Health.

In a report, the the ministry attributed this to a number of factors such as laziness among women despite the fact that there are a number of places where they can walk.

The report added that in the opinion of others, the increase is due to the fact that a number of hospitals and medical center owners encourage women to undergo Cesarean sections for financial gain.

Dr. Khaled Akur, a faculty member of the College of Medicine at King Saud University (KSU), added that the increase in the number of Cesarean births is also due to lack of health education.

He said that aside from the nature of life in the Kingdom in general, there is also lack of health awareness among women in particular, including those who are pregnant.

He added that their lack of physical activities and uncontrolled dietary habits contribute to weight increase which is not good for the health of pregnant women.

“There is no doubt that high weight among women has adverse effects. It is one of the reasons for the delay in pregnancy and infertility,” said Akur, also a gynecology and maternity consultant.

He said that the “success of assistance on reproductive rates is lesser when a woman’s weight is high.”

Makkah topped the list in having deliveries by Cesarean section with 39 percent, followed by Qurayyat with 18 percent.

The number of births that took place in public hospitals across the Kingdom stood at 262,173. Of the number, 187,017 were by natural birth (71.3 percent) and 75,156 by Cesarean section (27 percent).

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